Device for controlling liquid couplings



Dec. 17, 1935. G. BAUER EI'AL 2,024,342

DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING L IQUID COUPLINGS Filed Feb. 15, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet} OPEN . VENTORS Gas 0 Bauer Y Walzerflztqse ATTORNEYS Dec. 17, 1935. G. BAUER Em. 2,024,842

7 DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING LIQUID COUPLINGS Filed Feb. 15, 1934 2 sheets-sheet 2 FULL EMPTY INVENTORS Gustav Zaaer BY Willie/- firose MW WW ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 17, 1935 PATENT OFFICE DEVICE FOR ooNTaoLLmG LIQUID COUPLINGS Gustav Bauer, Hamburg, and Walter Brose,

* Bremen, Germany Application February 15, 1934, Serial No. 711,360

In Germany February 16, 1933 8 Claims.

It is known that internal combustion engines cannot be throttled down to very low speeds even if large flywheels be used. In general they can hardly be throttled down to below about a quarter of the normal speed, without fear of misfiring or irregular rotation of the engine shaft. It is therefore impossible to bring shafts driven by internal combustion engines to a low speed, desired or necessary in many cases, below the lowest speed of the engine. Among other cases this fault is 'particularly noticeable in motor ships.

According to the invention this fault is overcome by connecting the engine to the driven shaft by a hydraulic coupling of which the slip can be adjusted as desired from full down to very low power transmission. In this way. with any desired constant speed of the engine, a low propeller speed for example can be obtained.

This is carried out in practice. by the coupling being filled not completely but only partially during operation at the lowest speed of the secondary wheel'or propeller shaft. In this case slip of any desired extent, depending on the degree to which the coupling is filled, takes place between the primary, and .secondary wheels of the coupling. For a given primary speed of the coupling, that is at a constant speed of the driving engine, a lower speed of the secondary wheel or in other words any desired speed diiference or reduction ratiov between the primary wheel and secondary wheel is obtained by adjustment of the filling or slip. Completely filled, however, the coupling will in known manner transmit power at approximately the speed of the engine.

The invention further extends to devices by which'the degree of filling of the coupling can be regulated to adjust the variable slip to the desired value, either in direct or indirect cooperation with the usual filling and emptying devices of the coupling.

Threeexamples embodying the invention are illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3 respectively of the accompanying drawings, the filling and emptying devices and part of the coupling being shown in longitudinal section in all figures.

Like parts are designated by the same reference numerals in the several figures wherein I indicates the driving shaft, 2 the driven shaft, 3 the primary wheel and 4 the secondary wheel of the hydraulic coupling. The latter is fast to the coupling casing 5. Emptying ports 6 are provided in the latter which can be closed and opened by a rotatable ring I provided with corresponding ports. Filling of the coupling is effected by means of an interposed liquid chamber 8 connected by a pipe 9 with a pump. The chamber is connected by a duct 10 with a stufilng box II which seals the inlet [2 of the 5 coupling. The duct I0 is controlled by a piston valve l3 which opens the ports l4 leading from the chamber to the duct when the coupling is being filled and closes them when it is emptied.

The valve l3 and emptying ring 'I are so 10 coupled by a linkage l5, l6, l1, 18 that the valve normally leaves the ports [4 fully open when the emptying ring normally closes the ports 6. The linkage is coupled by a rod l9 to a control lever 29 by which the valve [3 and .15 the emptying ring I can be set by a single handle for complete filling or complete emptying; as desired.

In the embodiment shown in 1 an auxiliary device is provided by which the inter- '20 mediate adjustments of the filling and empsy ing devices are effected with both the filling members 13, I 3 and the emptying members 6, '1 being partly opened. Such an auxiliary device can be for example a threaded spindle 2! which limits the stroke of the controlling linkage according to need. In the illustrated example the end of the spindle 2i coacts with the outer end of the linkage element l8. With normal filling and emptying procedure the element I8 is clear 30 of the spindle (Figure 1). If only partial filling of the coupling is required, the spindle 2| is so set that it decreases the stroke of the element I8 so that in one end position the filling and emptying devices remain partly open as in Figure 2. In this case the coupling is partly emptied. At the same time the partial open ing of the members l3, l4 prevents complete emptying of the coupling. 7 I

By means of a separately controllable auxiliary inlet valve 22 also communicating with the inlet duct H] the exact degree'of filling of the coupling can be accurately controlled in combination with the partial opening of the main inlet valve l3.

The discharge valve 1 and the supply valve l3 are interconnected for simultaneous operation but the valve 22 which is in parallel with the valve l3' may be independently opened. With the valve 1 opened to any given extent thenormal amount of inflow will be determined by the corresponding position of the valve l3, but this normal inflow may be made greater or less as desired by adjusting the position of the .valve 22. The valves may be so set that a. small amount of'liquid may flow through the coupling and serve to cool the parts and remove the heat of friction of circulating air when the coupling is substantially empty and no further power is being transmitted.

Such or a similar auxiliary member can however be used alone to adjust the variable slip of the coupling if the filling members l3, l4 and emptyingmembe'rs 6, 1 are fully closed and opened respectively in normal manner. Another embodiment acting in this way is shown in Figure 3. Here ports 24 are provided in the flange of the sleeve 23 for the piston valve l3, and an annular duct ,25 in the cover 26 of the filling member. The liquid passing through ports 24 reaches the duct ill leadin o e coupling through a by-pass 29. With the duct 25 communicates a supply pipe 21 in which a simple stop valve ll is provided for regulating the desired rate of flow of liquid. With the filling device I3, ll closed and the emptying device 6, I fully open, the degree .of filling of the coupling is adjusted solely by means of the valve 28. What we claim is:

l. A liquid coupling adapted for connecting driving shaft and a driven shaft, and provided with an inlet control member, an outlet control 'member, coupling connections between said members whereby either may be opened or closed and the opening movement of one is accompanied by closing movement of the other, and an adjustable member for limiting the movement of said members.

2. A liquid coupling adapted for connecting a 7 driving shaft and a driven shaft, and provided panied by closing movement of the other, and an auxiliary control member. in parallel with one of said first mentioned members for varying the rate of flowthrough the coupling when both. of said first mentioned control members are 5 partially open.

4. A liquid coupling for connecting a driving shaft and a driven shaft, and provided with an outlet control valve and a pair of inlet control 'valves arranged in parallel, coupling means for 10 connecting said outlet valve and one of said inlet valves for simultaneous operation, and independent means for operating the other inlet I control valve.

5. A liquid coupling having an inlet, a control 15 member therefor, an outlet, a control member therefor, an operating member for simultaneously opening one of said control members and 7 closing the other, and an adjustable stop for limiting the extent of closing movement of said 20 outlet control member.

6. A liquid coupling having an inlet, a control member therefor, an outlet, a controlmember therefor, an operating member for simultaneously opening one of said control members and 5 closing the other, and holding them in any desired intermediate position, an adjustable stop for limiting the extent of closing movement of said outlet control member, and anindependently operable control member in parallelism 30.

with one of said first mentioned control members.

'7. A liquid coupling having an inlet, a control member therefor, an outlet, a control member therefor, an operating member for simultane- 35.

ously opening one of said control members and closing the other, a by-pass around said inlet control member, and means for controlling said by-pass.

8. A liquid coupling having an inlet, a control 40 member therefor, an outlet, a control member therefor, an operating member for simultaneously opening one of said control members and closing the other, an adjustable stop for limiting the movement of said operating member, a 5 by-pass around said inlet control member, and means for controlling said by-pass.-

' GUSTAV BAUER. WALTER. BROSE. 

